Veteran Florida tennis coach Andy Jackson resigns

The veteran coach leaves Florida after 11 seasons with the program. The release did not indicate that Jackson has accepted a job elsewhere.

He finishes his time at Florida with a 209-82 record (.718), ranking third at UF behind Bill Potter (415 wins) and Ian Duvenhage (221). Jackson's teams went 90-32 (.738) in SEC play. His teams finished in the top 10 in the NCAA in 10 seasons.

"I want to thank Jeremy Foley and the administration for the opportunity to lead this program for the last 11 years," Jackson said in the release. "I'm truly grateful for my time here and I hope to have the opportunity to coach again."

Jackson was hired in June 2001 and won two SEC championships during his tenure in 2003 and 2005. UF won two SEC Tournament titles in that span, last season and also in 2005.

Since the Gators' last regular season title, they have finished as a runner-up just once (2006). They have finished third or lower in the SEC in five of the past six years.

During Jackson's tenure, Florida advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 in 10 of 11 seasons. The Gators lost in that round this year and finished the season with a 16-9 over record and 7-4 mark in SEC play.

"I accept Andy's resignation and want to thank him for his many contributions to our program and University during his time here at Florida" said University of Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley. "He has always conducted his program in a first-class manner and his student-athletes have always performed well in the classroom. Andy is one of the finest people I know and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

"Moving forward, our vision is that the University of Florida men's tennis program can consistently be among the contenders for the SEC and national championships, and we'll work deliberately to find a candidate who matches this vision."

Prior to coaching at Florida Jackson spent 13 years as the head men's coach at Mississippi State after spending five years as MSU's women's head coach. He compiled a 220-106 record as the men's coach at Mississippi State, including a 100-59 mark in SEC play.